Daqin Zhentiansi

"Greetings, Lord Marquis!!!"

The thunderous roar did not only come from the guards of the Marquis's mansion standing solemnly on both sides of the passageway, but also instantly ignited the fuse of the entire long street and even the imperial city!
The sound waves, centered on the gate of the Qingyang Marquis's mansion, surged like a massive boulder thrown into a stagnant pool, creating towering waves that swept outwards in all directions, layer upon layer!

At the end of the passageway, the Marquis's "Qilin Guards" knelt on the ground in a dark mass, their faces covered with iron masks made of Qilin black iron, revealing only their eyes as fanatical as charcoal!

The martial arts aura carried by the sound waves almost solidified into a raging wind, causing their own black armor to clang and the blue bricks beneath their feet to crack inch by inch!

The majestic vermilion gates of the Qingyang Marquis's mansion vibrated and hummed from the impact of the sound waves!

The mysterious runes engraved on the lintel lit up in response, overflowing with a blue light that could resist the impact, but they still could not conceal the lingering evil aura that permeated the depths of the door frame and the gaps in the window lattice, a kind of aura that resonated with the very soul!
On both sides of the long street, the Imperial Guards guarding the martial law line, though veterans of countless battles, felt their knees go weak at this moment!

The roar of "Greetings, Lord Marquis!" seemed to pierce through eardrums and strike directly on the heart!
The leading Imperial Guard captain gripped his sword hilt, his knuckles white from the clenching, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty, his heart filled with surging shock: "The Marquis's personal guards... have actually forged such fighting spirit?! His Majesty's trust in the Marquis of Qingyang is no exaggeration! These are no longer personal guards... these are clearly unparalleled warriors comparable to the Imperial Shadow Guards! The might of the Qin army is on full display today!"

On the viewing platform further away, Su Jing, the former Marquis of Changning and now the Duke of Zhongyi, slightly swayed his teacup, a few drops of clear tea splashing onto his crimson official robe.

He clearly saw that as the sound swept across, what filled the long street was not chaos, but a kind of...unyielding and rock-solid will resonance!

"It's more than just the strength of the army!" he roared inwardly. "This is the spirit of the generals, the soul of a hundred battles! His Majesty granted him the power to command the Zhen Tian Division not as a check and balance, but as a pillar supporting the heavens!"

The sound waves were like pebbles thrown into a still lake, instantly creating towering waves.

Behind the windows of the teahouses on both sides of the long street, Minister Zhou Chang, dressed in a scarlet robe, who had just come out of the Ministry of War, trembled almost imperceptibly, causing his teacup to tip over.

He peered through the window at the figure in black armor, his heart pounding: "The Marquis's personal guards have become so elite? The power of these 'Qilin Guards' rivals that of the Imperial Guards! His Majesty has entrusted his most trusted guards to the Marquis of Qingyang; his trust in him is unparalleled..."

Outside the curfew on Zhuque Avenue, countless people who were eagerly waiting felt their eardrums throbbing and their blood surging.

Several timid women were so frightened that they hugged their children tightly, but their fright quickly turned into supreme reverence and fervor.

"It's Lord Qingyang! Heavens, that 'Greetings'... it sounds even more terrifying than the dragon's roar during the Spring Festival!"

"Look! Even those soldiers in black armor are kneeling down!"

"This is the true might of our Great Qin's pillar of strength!"

On the distant terrace of the high pavilion, the Fifth Prince Ying Li was gazing into the distance when the earth-shaking words "Greetings, Lord Marquis" struck his heart like an invisible hammer. His face instantly turned pale and then flushed red, and his knuckles turned white as he gripped the railing tightly.

His own triumphant spirit upon being bestowed the title of prince paled in comparison to the overwhelming military might sweeping across the entire city.

"Zhang Qingyang..."

The bitter name spilled from between his teeth, eventually turning into a heavy sigh.

Further away, Crown Prince Ying Rong stood beside a secondary ship about to take off, listening to the sound waves that pierced through space and surged in layers. His eyes flashed with sharp light, and instead of the slightest resentment at being suppressed, his fighting spirit burned fiercely.

"This is the true backbone of the Qin Dynasty! With him paving the way, my sword has the potential to strike even further! The might of our army could never be greater!"

His subordinates and generals were deeply moved and filled with immense respect.

Zhang Yuan did not stop walking. He walked step by step toward the flagship that was moored in the center of the huge jade square outside the mansion. It was a giant floating warship that was hundreds of feet long, covered with dark gold "Kuilong Gold" armor, and had a bow like a ferocious dragon head.

Runes flowed across the ship's hull, and the numerous crossbow bolt ports on its sides gleamed with a chilling light.

Along the way, countless gazes fell upon him, filled with awe and reverence.

He stepped onto the rising platform and ascended to the deck of the airship without any hindrance.

“Woo-ah-ah!!!”

A desolate yet metallic warship sets sail, its horn piercing the sky!

"Lord Qingyang, board the ship! Fleet—depart!"

As the messenger's roar, imbued with spiritual power, resounded through the sky, massive flying warships, as large as mobile fortresses, roared into the air from various take-off and landing sites throughout the imperial city!
Three hundred giant ships blotted out the sky, like a group of steel behemoths patrolling the heavens, rapidly adjusting their formation in the air to form a massive cone-shaped attack array.

On the flagship's bridge, Zhang Yuan stood tall and imposing, his gaze like two sharp swords piercing the northern border.

at this time!

Deep within the imperial city, towards the direction of Zhenlongtai, an incomparably majestic voice, seemingly imbued with the will of the laws of heaven and earth, resounded like a great bell through the city's megaphone array, instantly drowning out the roar of all engines and the sounds of wind and thunder.

That was Emperor Yuankang's voice, clearly reaching everyone's ears, like an imperial edict, engraved on every armor plate of the fleet:
"Marquis Zhang Yuan of Qingyang, receive my decree!"

On the deck of the flying ship, tens of thousands of soldiers from three hundred warships, along with hundreds of millions of subjects looking up from the ground, held their breath in an instant.

"I hereby command you to lead all reinforcements from the Northern Wall in your campaigns!"

"I hereby command you with the Nine Bestowments and the Axe, to open the passage to the netherworld!"

"Sweep away the demonic aura of foreign lands, and slaughter the filthy race of the void!"

"For our Great Qin, let us open a thoroughfare to reunite the mountains and rivers of the Nine Provinces!"

"This order—immediately!"

"Your subject—" Zhang Yuan faced the source of the voice from the direction of Zhenlongtai, clasped his hands, his dark gold python robe fluttering wildly in the fierce wind, the unicorn on the robe raising its head as if to devour the heavens and earth, "Zhang Yuan—obey the decree!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the flagship let out a roar that shattered the clouds, as if it came from the ancient wilderness!

"Target—Blackrock Fortress in the North!"

"All ships, charge!!"

The engines of the three hundred floating behemoths suddenly spewed out dazzling flames, tearing through the clouds and transforming into a torrent of steel. Carrying the Qin Dynasty's peak combat power and unstoppable will, they shot straight north like arrows released from a bow!

A massive shadow swept across the imperial city, casting an unparalleled pressure as it rushed toward the blood-red battlefield that would determine the future of the Nine Provinces.

————————————————————

Blackrock Fortress.

The vast Chenzhou ice plains are chillingly cold, like a knife.

The once solitary Blackrock Fortress, a massive wall in the North, has now become the heart of a turbulent universe!

As far as the eye can see, the boundaries between heaven and earth disappear.

Snowfields, frozen ground, and even the vast sky were all swallowed up by the torrent of steel and flesh! Eight million!
This number is no longer just a cold military report; it is a reality tearing the world apart! The mighty army of the Qin Dynasty has converged here!

above the earth.

A torrent of black armor.

Directly in front of the fortress, the dark, heavily armored infantry formation resembled an endless, moving iron forest.

Millions of infantrymen clad in heavy armor adorned with gold runes formed countless massive square formations. Before each formation stood towering black iron shields, their edges swirling with eerie blue "Suppressing Mountains" runes. These shields interlocked and extended, creating a nearly thousand-mile-long steel plain shimmering with cold light on the icy plain!
The weapons were like a forest, pointing straight to the sky. Every thunderous sound of weapons striking the ground was like the war drums of the gods beating the earth!

The left flank is a sea of ​​Crimson Scale Cavalry!

Elite light cavalry from the Eastern Frontier formed a towering sea of ​​blood-red flames. Their warhorses were clad in dark red, dragon-scale-like metal armor, their manes like burning crimson flames, and the "Blazing Sun Crossbows" hanging beside their saddles had flowing gold patterns on their bolts.

The knight's crimson armor gleamed, spreading like wildfire to the horizon. The wind and snow he carried with him as he galloped were vaporized by his scorching blood and energy into a pervasive red mist!

The right flank was a massive square formation composed of Chenzhou's elite troops and countless newly annexed barbarian warriors.

The barbarian warriors, bare-chested and covered in icy blue barbaric totems, wielded massive bone spears and battle axes. Though they wore no heavy armor, their soaring barbaric ferocity, mixed with the chilling light of the Qin elite soldiers' armor, was like the killing intent born from the frozen soil of Chenzhou itself!
Tens of thousands of domesticated giant Northern Ice Wolves lie in wait, their eerie green eyes forming a shimmering sea of ​​stars.

Between the military formations, countless massive war behemoths, as large as mobile fortresses, lay in wait, ready to fight.

The newly cast "mountain-shaking cannon" has a barrel as thick as a palace pillar, and its surface is covered with inscribed symbols that form a crimson vein pattern.

Thousands of "city-breaking crossbows" had their crossbow arms raised like the tattered remains of a dragon, their cold light gleaming.

There are also endless "rock rams" covered with three feet thick rune composite armor, like a group of armored prehistoric rhinoceroses!

Under the sky.

Warships blotted out the sun.

Above the fortress, thousands of floating warships formed a steel dome that blotted out the sun!
The main force consists of three hundred "Zhenyue-class" floating behemoths, resembling floating mountain ranges. Their entire bodies are covered with dark gold "Kuilong Gold" armor, and the ferocious rams at the bows flow with lightning. The densely packed rune cannons on the sides gleam with a deadly eerie light.

They were arranged in a massive three-tiered diamond formation, stretching across the sky for hundreds of miles!

Around these capital ships, the escort shuttles "Swift Harriers" moved as fast as lightning, like countless dense swarms of silver bees, patrolling at high speed between the giant ships.

Above this steel nebula, even higher, lies the "celestial canopy" formed by the powerful warriors of the Heavenly Guard and the grandmasters of various armies!
Thousands of powerful auras intertwined, resonating with the power of heaven and earth.

Some people transformed into giant sword shadows and hovered, some stood on burning pill wheels and soared into the air, some had illusory caves behind them that spewed wind and snow, and some even sat cross-legged on small floating platforms.

Their presence made the spiritual pressure in the entire Blackrock Fortress area as vast as a mountain, so great that even the howling ice winds could not get close!

The Great Wall, stretching for thousands of miles in the north, has now been completely transformed into a massive war platform.

The city walls were covered with banners and filled with crossbowmen ready to fire.

Behind the Great Wall lay even larger rear army camps, linked together and stretching to the horizon, where the smoke rising from the stoves coalesced into clouds of smoke!
Eight million soldiers!
The murderous aura surged straight to the heavens, completely dispersing the thick dark clouds above the entire Chenzhou Ice Plain!
The blazing sunlight shone down, illuminating the cold reflections of billions of armored vehicles, causing a crimson mist to rise!

An unparalleled killing aura, mixed with an unwavering will, coalesced into a phantom that covered a vast area.

A colossal, black frost dragon, bearing a heavy tortoise shell and winding like a mountain range, slowly coalesced and breathed above the eight million-strong army!
Its oppressive aura caused the void in front of the fortress to subtly distort!

Just as this fierce roar reached its peak, and the colossal battleships arrayed like a forest in the sky—

"hold head high--!!!!"

A dragon's roar that tore through the starry sky came from beyond the heavens, drowning out all the roar of engines and the clash of weapons!

At the highest point of the sky, space suddenly collapsed inward, creating a huge void portal!

An unimaginably colossal ship slowly emerged from it, like a star descending!
Prison Warden!
It was so enormous that all other warships in the sky instantly turned into "hawks".

The entire body is no longer covered by "Kuilong Gold", but by "Starfall Mountain Iron", which is black with a gold tinge and flows with the brilliance of liquid starlight!
The bow of the ship was no longer a ram, but a dark golden Qilin with its head held high and roaring, its whiskers and claws bared in anger. In its dragon eyes was a cold divine light that could pierce through the nine netherworlds!

Around its hull, 50,000 figures hovered silently!

They did not travel by ship, but stood proudly in the void with only their physical bodies!
Covered in the same dark gold starlight as Zhang Yuan's python robe, the "Conquering Armor" floated around him, and behind him floated personalized "Void Core Crystals" of varying sizes, like 50,000 fallen stars, guarding the central divine court!

These are the 50,000 elite guards selected from Zhang Yuandong's 300 million-strong army, capable of physically conquering the heavens and shattering the void—

"Shattered Star Guardian"!
The Prisoner hovered at the very center of the Steel Sky Dome Array, like a mobile black fortress.

A figure slowly appeared on the bridge.

Marquis Qingyang of the Great Qin Dynasty.

Zhang Yuan!

Wearing a dark black python robe with dark gold cloud patterns that had turned into ink, with a golden unicorn on the shoulder shining brightly, the black iron chain hanging at the waist was no longer a restraint, but rather a chain of order that bound the void itself, and each collision emitted a clear, rule-like sound.

He stood at the edge of the bridge, his figure appearing incredibly small under the gaze of eight million soldiers, against the backdrop of the steel sky and the strange phenomena of the Xuan Turtle and Ice Dragon, yet seemingly holding up the entire world!
There were no words, not even any extra movements.

He simply swept his gaze calmly over the boundless torrent of steel, the iron-blooded formation, the frost dragon phenomenon, and the array of warships standing tall in the sky below.

"boom--!"

Following Zhang Yuan's gaze, from the fortress walls to the outermost edge of the Icefield Army formation, and then to the Sky Battleship array—

Eight million mighty warriors of the Qin Dynasty!
Regardless of whether the armor is new or old, regardless of the type of soldier, regardless of whether they come from the Eastern Territory, the Northern Region, or Qingzhou or Liangzhou!
It was as if an invisible giant hand had flipped a switch!
"Crash-!"

The sound of armor clashing instantly merged into a massive metal tsunami that swept across the heavens and the earth!
Whether it's the heavily armored infantry on the ground, the light cavalry on horseback, or the auxiliary engineers who operate huge machines.

Whether it's a general standing proudly in the clouds or a soldier waiting in the cabin.

Even those 50,000 "Shattered Star Guardians" floating in the void!
At the same moment, all beings bowed in unison with the most solemn military salute they could muster!
Towards the dark figure on the bridge!

To their invincible commander! To the embodiment of the might and majesty of the Qin martial arts!
"Greetings—Marquis Qingyang!!!"

"Greetings—Marquis Qingyang!!!"

"Greetings—Marquis Qingyang!!!"

Eight million people united as one!
Its sound was so deafening, surpassing even thunder, that it shattered space itself! (End of Chapter)